In 1982, Daryle Scott, IBM engineer and MBA student, and three other investors created a mail order apparel company that focused in competitive body suits.[7] In 1984, Scott created Venus Body Wear,[7] an American clothing and swimsuit retailer, selling ladies' leotards and exercise apparel via full-page advertisements in Cosmopolitan and other national magazines. A year later, the company expanded to include women’s swimwear and became known as Venus Swimwear.[7] In 1998, the company opened its first retail store on the first level of the shopping mall, Jacksonville Landing.[8] The store was located near The Body Shop and Foot Locker.[8] During this time the company already had a Venus Factory Outlet on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville.[8]
In 1999, Venus acquired WinterSilks, a large importer of silk fashions. In 2000, reflecting the expanded offerings, the company name changed to Venus. In November 2006, Venus, Venus Manufacturing, and WinterSilks, were acquired 80% by Golden Gate Capital, under their Catalog Holdings Group. The three companies fell under a new, united company name, Venus Holdings, LLC. In 2007, Venus opened three new retail stores, including one at shopping mall Coconut Point in Estero.[9][10] In 2009, Venus Holdings was acquired by the German catalog company Bon Prix, a subsidiary of Otto.[2][11]
As of 2018, the company employs nearly 1,000 people, 600 of which work at the headquarters in Jacksonville, 300 people work at the distribution center and approximately 50 people work at a Venus fashion design office in Boca Raton.[12] In September 2020, Venus announced that it is permanently laying off 120 jobs at its distribution center as part of a plan to open a second distribution facility on the west coast.[13][14][15]
Venus has held an annual Venus Model Search since 1989.[17] Venus Swimwear Model Search was documented in the fifth episode of the first season of HDNet's reality series Bikini Destinations in 2003.
Collaborations
In 2002, actress and model Brooke Burke created a swimwear line called Barely Brooke with Venus. In June 2020, Venus Fashion launched a swimwear line with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.[18][19][20] The collaboration featured nearly 40 items, including long-sleeved one-pieces, tie-dye, neon, color-block and animal print swimwear and cover-ups.[21] The pieces were priced between $85 and $140, and sold online. Select pieces from the collection were featured in the 2020 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.[18]
Sponsorships
Official presenting sponsor for The Jacksonville ROAR 2014/2015 cheerleaders.[22][23]
^ a b c"Venus Swimwear in business for at least four more weeks". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
^ a b c"Venus Swimwear opens store at The Landing". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
^"New on the scene: Venus". www.naplesnews.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
^"Venus, a Division of Catalog Holdings, Inc. Steps Up Bricks & Mortar Expansion Campaign". PRWeb. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
^Jim Tierney (July 13, 2009). "Bon Prix Buys Venus Swimwear". Multichannel Merchant. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
^"Venus Fashion Inc. renovating Jacksonville headquarters | Jax Daily Record". Jacksonville Daily Record - Jacksonville, Florida. 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
^"Venus Fashion to lay off 120 jobs at its distribution center | Jax Daily Record". Jacksonville Daily Record - Jacksonville, Florida. 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
^"Venus laying off workers because it plans to open West Coast distribution center | Jax Daily Record". Jacksonville Daily Record - Jacksonville, Florida. 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
^Patterson, Steve. "Venus Fashion's layoffs in Jacksonville caused by plan for new West Coast operation". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
^ a b"Venus Swimwear has two suits featured in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
^"VENUS Model Search". www.venusmodelsearch.com. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
^ a bPuhak, Janine (2020-06-16). "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit teams with retailer to launch 'inclusive' new swimwear line". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
^"ABG to Launch SI Swim Collection, Targeted to Women". news.yahoo.com. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
^"Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Magazine Unveils Its Own Swimwear Line – Angel City Style". Retrieved 2021-11-18.
^Jacksonville Jaguars Public Relations (Feb 5, 2014). "THE ROAR partners with VENUS". Jaguars.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
^Ashley Gurbal Kritzer (Feb 12, 2014). "Venus Swimwear looks to make local splash with Jacksonville Jaguars Roar sponsorship". Jacksonville Business Journal.
^ a b c"Venus Swimwear Models". FashionModelDirectory. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
^"8 Celebrities that Proudly Call Jacksonville, Florida Their Home". Prime Roofing Florida. Retrieved 2022-02-28.